The Debate Over Teaching the “Success Sequence” in Schools

A growing number of U.S. states are considering or passing laws that would require public schools to teach students about the “Success Sequence.” This concept suggests that following a specific order—graduating from high school, securing a full-time job, getting married, and then having children—can reduce the risk of poverty. Conservative lawmakers and some policy groups have championed this approach, citing research that links the sequence to improved financial outcomes for individuals who follow it. Critics contend that the Success Sequence oversimplifies the deeply rooted social and economic factors influencing people’s lives.

Several states, including Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and Utah, have passed legislation to include the Success Sequence in school instruction. In Utah, students must receive instruction on the framework at least twice between the 8th and 12th grades. The Kentucky legislature attempted to pass a Success Sequence bill, but the bill died at the end of the 2026 session. The Kentucky bill said the Kentucky Board of Education would establish the official academic standards, while the Kentucky Department of Education would provide guidelines utilizing data from researchers at institutions like the Brookings Institution and the center-right public policy think tank American Enterprise Institute. Several other States had similar bills that died before the end of their legislative sessions.

The Success Sequence proposals have generated intense debate. Supporters of the Success Sequence argue that it equips young people with knowledge about one evidence-based path to economic stability. They see it as a way to present students with data-driven options, not as a mandate for how anyone must live their lives.

Critics are concerned that teaching the Success Sequence could inadvertently stigmatize students from single-parent or nontraditional families, and argue that public education should avoid endorsing any particular life trajectory. School boards and advocacy groups in states considering Success Sequence legislation have also argued that incorporating it into curricula risks blaming individuals for challenges rooted in systemic inequality. They warn that emphasizing a narrow set of family norms could alienate or stigmatize students from diverse backgrounds—including those from single-parent households or those who do not wish to marry or become parents. Some critics also assert that these bills leverage public education to promote specific conservative, religious, or heteronormative family ideals under the pretense of teaching financial planning, rather than providing objective guidance.

The Success Sequence movement has primarily gained traction in Republican-led states, and it has not yet become a nationwide requirement; academic standards continue to be set by individual states. Even though Colorado has a State legislature controlled by a Democratic majority, which would not sponsor a Success Sequence bill, there MIGHT be cause for concern. Recently, a former Academy School District 20 school board director became the Executive Vice President for School Board for Academic Excellence. SBAE recently held a conference at which the Success Sequence Program was one of the sponsors. Given that Colorado Leaders of Academic Success, a new conservative alternative to the Colorado Association of School Boards, partners with School Boards for Academic Excellence, this raises the question: could Colorado school board directors affiliated with Colorado Leaders of Academic Success attempt to pass Success Sequence resolutions? Hopefully not, as this would only add to teacher workloads and the curriculum would not align with Colorado Academic Standards.

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